Mullins’ 2-run homer, Seymour’s sharp outing lift Rays to 8th straight win, 5-2 over Royals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Cedric Mullins hit a two-run homer, Ian Seymour dominated the Royals for the second time in a week, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat Kansas City 5-2 on Thursday night to extend their winning streak to eight games.

Taylor Walls, Richie Palacios and Hunter Feduccia also drove in runs for the red-hot Rays, though Junior Caminero had his home run streak end at six games. The slugging third baseman went 0 for 5.

Seymour (5-1) allowed a leadoff homer to Carter Jensen but just two more hits over six crisp innings, striking out eight and walking one. Cam Booser and Garrett Cleavinger got the game to Bryan Baker, who handled the ninth for his 22nd save.

Stephen Kolek (4-3) struggled for the Royals in his first start since his wife gave birth to their daughter, Faye, last week. He cruised through the first but allowed three runs on four hits and a walk in the second, and he did not return for the third.

Kolek matched a career high by allowing nine runs in just 1 2/3 innings in his most recent start June 21 against St. Louis.

He didn’t get much help from his defense in the second inning. Royals right fielder Kameron Misner had a flyball by Walls bounce off his glove at the warning track for a two-out double, and he also misplayed an RBI triple by Feduccia later in the inning — both would’ve been difficult catches looking back into the setting sun.

The score was still 3-1 in the fifth when Simpson singled for his third straight at-bat. His two-out hit set the table for Mullins, who hit Randy Dobnak’s 91 mph sinker into the right field bullpen to give Tampa Bay some breathing room.

Isaac Collins homered in the seventh for Kansas City, which has lost seven of its last eight games.

Up next

The Rays continue their six-game road trip on Friday night in Houston. RHP Nick Martinez (7-2, 2.66 ERA) gets the start.

The Royals are off Friday night as Arrowhead Stadium hosts the Colombia-Ghana match in the World Cup across the parking lot from Kauffman Stadium. RHP Michael Wacha (5-5, 3.31) will start their series opener against Philadelphia on Saturday.

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